These J&K polls were the bloodiest: Police

13 October 2002The Times of IndiaPTI

SRINAGAR: It was fiercest and bloodiest elections in the militancy-torn Jammu and Kashmir. Of the last eight elections in the state, 2002 assembly polls have seen the maximum incidents of violence with Pakistan- sponsored terrorists desperate to disrupt the electoral process, highly placed sources in the Kashmir police said. As many as 1300 militants have been killed this year in the state, out of which nearly 400 were killed during the election period, they said. In 1996 Assembly elections, no candidate was killed and the fidayeen squads did not exist at the time in the state, whereas in the just concluded elections, two candidates were killed by militants.